It is weak to switch parties as a legislator during the middle of a term. You can still be against your own party's president and fight against the crazy of the California Democratic Party. Just as how west virgina democrats were embarrassed by Obama. #capolitics

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Month: June 2018

Gov. Brown signed Assembly Bill 1668 and Senate Bill 606 May 31, 2018, which are jointly designed to overhaul California’s approach to conserving water.

(Mike MORRELL and Jay OBERNOLTE voted AGAINST these bills…) … This was quietly signed and after many voters already sent in their ballots not knowing

this scheme imposed by the Democratic legislature.

The measures impose a number of new or expanded requirements on state water agencies and local water suppliers, and provide for significantly greater state oversight of local water suppliers’ water use, even in non-drought years. They were adopted in response to Brown’s May 2016 executive order, which called to make water conservation a “way of life” in California.

Among other things, AB 1668 and SB 606 require the State Water Resources Control Board, in coordination with the Department of Water Resources, to establish long-term urban water use efficiency standards by June 30, 2022. Those standards will include components for indoor residential use, outdoor residential use, water losses and other uses.

Regarding indoor residential use, the new laws set a standard of 55 gallons per-person, per-day through Jan. 1, 2025. After that date, the amount will be incrementally reduced over time. For the development of outdoor residential use standards, the bills require DWR to conduct studies of landscaping and climate throughout the State by 2021. DWR will then provide the resulting data to SWRCB and local water suppliers for development of urban water use objectives.

In addition, the bills will require local water suppliers to calculate and comply with their water use objectives and report those objectives and actual use to DWR. New five-year drought risk assessments and water shortage contingency plans must also be incorporated into Urban Water Management Plans.

Starting in 2027, local water suppliers’ failure to comply with SWRCB’s adopted long-term standards could result in fines of $1,000 per day during non-drought years, and $10,000 per day during declared drought emergencies and certain dry years.

These are just some of the many changes ushered in by AB 1668 and SB 606. As the new laws are implemented by SWRCB and DWR over the next several years, they will dramatically change how local water suppliers plan for, report and achieve water use efficiency and drought management within their service areas.

The primary has been a bit quieter. I have had several Tea Party groups in the region feature me on their voter guides and I thank them. However, in the General Election it will be time to pump up the volume and get active. Right now, the campaign has a modest amount of debt of around 150 dollars and it would be great if we can close the books and break even for the primary cycle with a few more contributions, so we can be ready for the general. I will be ready to answer questions on Facebook and Twitter and my email address if people want to communicate with me. On Monday and Tuesday, the questions will be answered when I am free from work.

Nickel and Dimed

It seems that we are being priced out of living in our state due to the central planning mentality of the governing party and our incumbents. The gas tax is not going entirely for roads and they want us off the roads. They want I-10 and possibly the rest of our highways such as CA-60 and I-210 be tolled as well so we can have the pleasure in driving in 25 dollar each way lanes if we do not want to eat 2 to 4 hours of our lives a day in traffic. Will my opponent do what her friends and agencies such as SCAG want the public to do such as taking Omnitrans to her district office and back? New lanes and new highways are not going to be easily built unless there is an element to get us off our cars thanks to the Democrats.

Water Talk

Rationing Californians with 55 gallons per day is going to be unfair when people like Oprah and Mark Zuckerberg have bigger water demands when they should be subjected to the same upcoming pain. I think there are more intermediate ideas we can do before we go draconian as what our state legislature have done. First, let us consider making high efficiency washers the default washing machine in California. Washing clothes does consume 29 to 45 gallons of water per load while the high efficiency washer does it with only 15 to 29 gallons per load. If we can save 25 to 40% more water from each load it would be progress. Rationing means more government control.

Upcoming Plans

Other campaigns will be in operation in conjunction with the Assembly and State Senate races. We will be the local connections with the gas tax/car tag increase repeal effort. There are good things coming in this potential General Election.